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I’ve officially been here a week and a half, but it feels like I’ve been here forever. I’ve had a couple flat mates move in, so my creaking house is freaking me out a little less. I’ve met so many wonderful people this week during orientation and have been reunited with my shin splints. We’ve been doing so many outdoor activites that require running and my competitive spirit wouldn’t let me sit out. Deep down I knew we would never be separated; good `ole shin splints and I are in it for the long haul. So my crippling pain has left me sedentary for the evening, but I am not without my old pal, ice pack. We are currently enjoying some locally brewed New Zealand IPA and delicious New Zealand chocolate. ﻿🍻

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In fact, food has become an even bigger part of my life. When I settled in I realized how much free time I was really going to have without a job or a heavy course load. This free time has left me inspired to try my hand at cooking. I know… some of you are gasping and are probably afraid for my life. Let me assure you, I haven’t caught the house on fire… YET. In addition, none of my food has come alive and eaten me, either. I’m actually quite enjoying it and have made a couple edible dishes. Such as this one:

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It surprisingly easy to make! Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try:

The tough thing about where I live is that in order to get to my flat you must climb a ton of stairs. Which, I really don’t mind under normal circumstances. The problem is that I’ve had to buy mass amounts of groceries since I was starting from scratch. I can only carry so much, so I’ve had to make quite a few trips to the grocery store. I’ve definitely bought a lot less beer because of those stairs… Anyway, when I go to the market I’ve made it a point to only buy local produce. There’s quite a bit, my choices are not limited. However, there was one fruit I was looking forward to getting my fix of more than anything: kiwi. Heres the catch. They are all imported from Italy. WHAT?! WHAT IS THIS?! I refuse to buy them. I’m sure I’m just being stubborn… Either way, I’m outraged and kiwi deficient. The good news? This is the worst thing I’ve found about New Zealand. I think I’m doing alright.

As you can imagine, there is so much interesting food here. It doesn’t vary vastly from the US, but there are subtle charming differences. For instance, they put eggs on everything. You want a BLT? Put an egg on it. How about a ceasar salad? Put an egg on it. Anyone up for an egg sandwhich? Put another egg on it. The weirdest thing about the eggs is how orange the yolks are. And no one refrigerates them! In the grocery store, they are just on a shelf.

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So far, I’ve really enjoyed most of the food Ive tried. I like eggs, so that is in my favor… However, there is one food they’ve definitely messed up. Pretty badly. I’m convinced someone was playing a practical joke on the kiwis when they gave them this recipe. ﻿

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Thats a hot dog.

There are really no words for this.

And yes, it does in fact taste as bad as it looks.

With that, I’m going to go soak up some New Zealand summer sun! 🌅 Until next week…